As the monkeys and the Rakshasas thus fought on, the sun set, and the
fatal Night came. And then commenced a night-engagement between the
dreadful Rakshasas and the monkeys of fixed hostility, each party
burning for victory. And in that profound darknesss, the monkeys and the
Rakshasas began to slay each other, exclaiming,--'Thou art a Rakshasa,'
and 'Thou art a monkey.' And in that army there was heard a mighty
uproar of 'slain,' 'rive!' 'come!' 'why fliest?' And, dark-hued, the
Rakshasas, equipped in golden mail, in that deep darkness appeared like
elevated hills clad with woods of flaming medicinal herbs. And in that
limitless gloom, the Rakshasas, transported with wrath, advanced with
impetuous speed, devouring monkeys. And, fired with terrible wrath,
they,[138] bounding up, with their sharp teeth tore up steeds
caparisoned in gold, and standards resembling venomous serpents. And the
lusty monkeys in battle agitated the Rakshasa host,--and, waxing
furious, with their teeth pulled and bit elephants and the riders
thereof, and cars furnished with flags and standards. And Rama and
Lakshmana with shafts resembling venomous serpents, slaughtered the
foremost among the Rakshasas--both those that were seen and those that
were not.--And the dust of the earth arising from warring combatants,
and from the hoofs of horses and the wheels of cars, choked up eye and
ear. And as the mighty encounter, capable of making people's hair stand
on end, went on, there flowed a fearful river of gore. And the sounds of
kettle-drums and _Mridangas_ and _Panavas_, mingled with those of conchs
and car-wheels,--were wonderful (to hear). And the sounds of steeds
neighing, and Rakshasas (roaring), and monkeys, rejoicing,--were
something tremendous. And, with able monkeys slain; and darts and
javelins and axes; and slaughtered Rakshasas wearing forms at pleasure,
lying mountain-like,--the field of battle, seeming to have offerings of
arms representing flowers,--became difficult to recognise, and
inaccessible; and the earth was drenched with streams of blood. And that
Night, destructive to monkeys and Rakshasas,--was dreadful, and
difficult of being out-sped by all,--like unto the Fatal Night of
beings. And in that profound darkness, the Rakshasas with great vivacity
attacked Rama with a shower of shafts. And the roars of those beings as
they advanced, sending up shouts in anger, resembled the dashing of the
Ocean at the time of the universal dissolution. And in the twinkling of
an eye, Rama by means of six shafts resembling tongues of flames, struck
six of the night-rangers; _viz_., Yajnacatru, irrepressible (in
fight),--and Mahaparcwa, and Mahodara, and the huge-bodied
Vajradanashtra,--and those two--Suka and Sarana. And, pierced in their
vitals with Rama's shafts, they, having only their lives left to them,
disappeared from the field. Then in the twinkling of an eye, that
Maharatha rendered all sides clear (of all gloom) by means of arrows
resembling tongues of fire; and those other heroic Rakshasas that were
in front of Rama, were destroyed on approaching the place, like insects
approaching a fire. And with shafts plated with gold lying in all
directions, the night resembled one in autumn decked with fireflies. And
in consequence of the uproar occasioned by the Rakshasas, and the sounds
of drums, that night, already dreadful (in itself), became all the more
so. And on that sound attaining dimensions on all sides, it seemed as if
the mount Trikuta, containing numerous caverns, had been speaking. And
huge-bodied Goangulas of equal lustre with darkness itself,[139] binding
fast the night-rangers with their arms, began to swallow them up. And
Angada was present in the encounter, for slaying foes, And Indrajit,
fairing sadly at the hands of Angada, abandoning his vehicle, and having
his horses as well as his charioteer slain, vanished then and there. And
that feat of Vali's son, worthy of being honored, all the celestials
with the saints and both Rama and Lakshmana lauded to the eight. All
beings were acquainted with the might of Indrajit in battle; and,
therefore, witnessing his discomfiture, and seeing that high-souled one,
they rejoiced exceedingly, and, seeing the enemy vanquished, all the
monkeys with Sugriva and Bibhishana, experiencing high delight,
exclaimed,--"Excellent!" "Excellent!" And, beaten by Vali's son of
dreadful deeds, Indrajit was fired with a mighty wrath. And, being
handled hard in battle, and having vanished from the field, the heroic
and wicked son of Ravana, who had received a boon from Brahma,
transported with passion,--remaining invisible, began to discharge
sharpened shafts of the splendour of the thunder-bolt. And worked up
into rage, he in the conflict pierced Raghu's sons, Rama and Lakshmana
all over their bodies, with terrific arrows consisting of serpents. And
himself engirt with illusion, that night-ranger, given to fighting in
crooked ways,--remaining invisible to all creatures,--stupified the
descendants of Raghu in battle; and by means of his shafts bound the
brothers, Rama and Lakshmana. And then in the sight of the monkeys,
those heroes and foremost of men were suddenly overpowered with shafts
by the enraged (Indrajit). And when the son of the Rakshasa monarch felt
himself incompetent to cope with them[140] openly, then that impious
one, resorting to illusion, bound those princes (by that means).
[138] _i.e._ the monkeys, as appears from the context.--T.
[139] Irony.
[140] Rama and Lakshmana.